Dunnage conversion machine and method

ABSTRACT

A dunnage conversion machine ( 36 ) converts a sheet stock material into a dunnage product that is relatively thicker and less dense than the stock material, but is relatively thin and sufficiently flexible to function as a protective wrap. The conversion machine includes a feed mechanism ( 40 ) that advances a sheet stock material therethrough and a connecting mechanism ( 42 ) downstream of the feed mechanism. The connecting mechanism retards the passage of the sheet stock material therethrough by feeding the stock material therethrough at a slower rate than the feed mechanism feeds the stock material to the connecting mechanism. This causes the stock material to randomly crumple in a longitudinal space between the feed mechanism and the connecting mechanism. The connecting mechanism connects multiple overlapping layers of sheet stock material together as they pass therethrough, including connecting at least one crumpled sheet to one side of one other sheet.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related to dunnage conversion machines, andmore particularly to a stock supply assembly and an output chute for adunnage conversion machine, and a corresponding method, as well as adunnage conversion machine and method for making a wrappable dunnageproduct from a sheet stock material.

BACKGROUND

Dunnage conversion machines convert a stock material into a dunnageproduct that can be used to pack articles and thus minimize or preventdamage during shipment. The dunnage conversion machines, also referredto as dunnage converters, include a conversion assembly that converts astock material into a relatively lower density dunnage product as thestock material moves through the conversion assembly from an upstreamend toward an outlet at a downstream end.

At the upstream end of the converter, a supply of stock material is fedinto the conversion assembly. The stock material typically is storedadjacent the conversion assembly, which consumes the stock material asit produces strips of dunnage from which dunnage products are severed.When the converter is deployed underneath a table or other work surface,keeping the stock material under the table keeps it out of the way, butmakes replenishing the stock material difficult.

At the downstream end, dunnage conversion machines often include anoutput chute secured to the housing or frame of the converter to guidedunnage products away from the outlet. The output chute supports andguides the dunnage products and can prevent the exiting dunnage productsfrom causing jams in the conversion assembly. A typical dunnage producthas a length of about twenty to about seventy centimeters. If a dunnageproduct does not exit the output chute on its own, a subsequent dunnageproduct typically will push it out of the chute.

A wrappable dunnage product may be advantageous for layering, includingplacement between relatively flat items such as plates, and/or forindividually wrapping articles such as fragile ornaments, glass lamps,or the wooden legs on fine furniture, to minimize or prevent damageduring shipment. Not all dunnage is suitable for use as a wrappingproduct, however. Some dunnage products in pad form, for example, can betoo narrow and/or stiff to be used effectively as a protective wrappingproduct.

Existing wrappable dunnage products include foldable cardboard andplastic bubble wrap. Unfortunately, both take up a lot space for storageuntil ready to use. Cardboard typically has a sinusoidal, regularlyundulating ply glued to one or more generally planar plies. Somecardboard is made using pleating rollers that extend across the width ofa sheet to form the regular sinusoidal shape as the sheet passes betweenthe rollers. These pleating rollers are very expensive to make.Cardboard also is difficult to produce on demand since the glue holdingthe layers together has to dry before use. Therefore, on-demandconversion of a stock material into a cardboard-like wrapping dunnageproduct probably is not practical.

Unlike cardboard, plastic bubble wrap can be made on demand, but theprocess is very slow (generally about nine meters per minute, comparedto about twenty meters per minute for some converters that produce paperdunnage) and its speed is limited by the nature in which bubble wrap ismade. Additionally, plastic is increasingly expensive, as well asincreasingly being seen as bad for the environment.

SUMMARY

We have developed a wrappable dunnage product that can be producedrelatively quickly on demand from a sheet stock material for immediateuse. An exemplary stock material is kraft paper, which is biodegradable,recyclable, and composed of a renewable resource.

More specifically, the present invention provides a wrappable dunnageproduct, a dunnage converter for converting a sheet stock material intoa wrappable dunnage product, and a corresponding method for producing awrappable dunnage product. In particular, the present invention providesa multi-ply dunnage product that has sufficient flexibility and loft tobe used as a protective wrap. At least one layer of the dunnage productincludes a randomly crumpled web or sheet. Randomly crumpling at leastone sheet provides cushioning properties to the dunnage wrap, whilelines of connection where the multiple overlaid sheets or plies are heldtogether mechanically help the dunnage wrap retain its structure. Theselines of connection also can provide convenient fold lines.

Additionally, a dunnage converter and method provided by the presentinvention can be employed to produce a wrappable dunnage product withoutemploying pleating rollers. Although pleating rollers can be used toform regular folds in the stock material, they are relatively expensiveand tend to provide different protective properties because the foldlines formed in the stock material are consistently parallel to eachother.

An exemplary dunnage conversion machine for converting a sheet stockmaterial into a wrapping dunnage product that is relatively thicker andless dense than the stock material includes a feed mechanism and aconnecting mechanism downstream of the feed mechanism. The feedmechanism advances at least a first web of sheet stock materialtherethrough at a first rate. The connecting mechanism (a) retards theadvancement of the sheet stock material by passing the sheet stockmaterial therethrough at a second rate that is less than the first rate,thereby causing the first web to randomly crumple in a longitudinalspace between the feed mechanism and the connecting mechanism, and (b)connects the crumpled first web to a second web to maintain the crumpledfirst web in its crumpled state. The second web may pass through thefeed mechanism and crumple between the feed mechanism and the connectingmechanism, or bypass the feed mechanism and join the first web as anuncrumpled ply.

An exemplary dunnage product includes multiple plies of sheet stockmaterial connected together, including at least one randomly crumpledsheet having an irregular pitch that is connected to one side of anothersheet to maintain the crumpled sheet in its crumpled state. An exemplarystock material includes paper.

And an exemplary method for producing a dunnage product includes thefollowing steps: (i) advancing at least a first web of sheet stockmaterial through an upstream feed mechanism, (ii) retarding the passageof the sheet stock material downstream of the feed mechanism by passingthe sheet stock material at a second rate that is less than the firstrate to cause the first web to randomly crumple, and (iii) connectingmultiple layers of sheet stock material, including connecting thecrumpled first web to one side of a second web of sheet stock material,to hold the crumpled first web in its crumpled state.

Another dunnage conversion machine provided by the invention forconverting a sheet stock material into a dunnage product includes a feedmechanism for advancing a sheet stock material therethrough at a firstrate, and a connecting mechanism downstream of the feed mechanism that(a) retards the advancement of the sheet stock material by passing thesheet stock material therethrough at a second rate that is less than thefirst rate, thereby causing at least one sheet to randomly crumple in alongitudinal space between the feed mechanism and the connectingmechanism, and (b) mechanically connects multiple sheets of stockmaterial together to hold the crumpled sheet in its crumpled state.

Yet another dunnage conversion machine for converting a sheet stockmaterial into a dunnage product includes a feed assembly for advancing asheet stock material therethrough at a first rate, and a connectingassembly downstream of the feed assembly that (a) advances the sheetstock material therethrough at a second rate that is less than the firstrate, thereby causing at least one sheet of stock material to randomlycrumple in a longitudinal space between the feed assembly and theconnecting assembly, and b) mechanically connects multiple sheetstogether, including at least one crumpled sheet, to maintain thecrumpled sheet in its crumpled state.

Another method for producing a dunnage product includes the steps of (i)advancing a sheet stock material at a first rate, and (ii) mechanicallyconnecting multiple layers of sheet stock material together at a secondrate that is less than the first rate to cause at least one sheet ofstock material to randomly crumple within a confined space before beingconnected to another sheet to maintain the crumpled sheet in itscrumpled state.

Still another dunnage conversion machine for converting a sheet stockmaterial into a wrapping dunnage product includes (i) means foradvancing a sheet stock material at a first rate, and (ii) means formechanically connecting multiple layers of sheet stock material togetherat a second rate that is less than the first rate to cause at least onesheet of stock material to randomly crumple within a confined spacebefore being connected to another sheet to maintain the at least onecrumpled sheet in its crumpled state.

Other concepts provided by the present invention include: (i) means forguiding at least one sheet of stock material to a connecting means atthe second rate so that at least one sheet that is connected to thecrumpled sheet is not crumpled; (ii) a guide for guiding at least onesheet of stock material to the connecting mechanism and bypassing thefeed mechanism to connect the crumpled sheet to an uncrumpled sheet toform a relatively flat wrapping dunnage product that retains its shape;(iii) a bunching assembly upstream of the feed mechanism that inwardlygathers the sheet stock material to encourage the formation oflongitudinally-extending fold lines in the stock material; (iv) aseparator that cooperates with channel guides to define multiplechannels for the stock material to travel through the feed mechanism tothe connecting mechanism, whereby the channels confine the stockmaterial as it crumples between the feed mechanism and the connectingmechanism, and each channel has a different height to promote differentfrequencies and amplitudes in the crumpling of respective webs of sheetstock material, (v) laterally-spaced forming members that extend intothe path of lateral edge portions of the sheet stock material to urgethose lateral edge portions inward to reinforce the edges of the stockmaterial as those edge portions pass through the connecting mechanism;(vi) a series of transversely-extending serpentine guides upstream ofthe feed mechanism that define a serpentine path for the sheet stockmaterial to improve its tracking and maintaining a minimum tension inthe stock material drawn therethrough; (vii) wherein the aforementionedserpentine guides include three parallel rollers arranged with the axesgenerally in a common plane, and at least one roller is pivotablebetween an operating position in line with the other rollers and aloading position spaced from the operating position to provide a largegap for threading the stock material therethrough; (viii) where theconnecting mechanism includes at least one pair of gears that intermeshto connect the multiple layers of stock material, the gears include atleast two laterally-spaced segments on opposing sides of an annularrecess therebetween, and a stripper bar extends through the annularrecess a distance upstream and downstream of the gears to help releasethe stock material from the gears; and (ix) wherein the feed mechanismincludes at least one pair of rotating members that feed the stockmaterial therebetween, and a mechanism for moving at least one of therotating members away from the other to facilitate loading a sheet stockmaterial therebetween.

We have found that relatively short dunnage products, having a length ofless than about fifteen centimeters, for example, tend to shingle,twist, or otherwise jam and block passage through the output chute. Andsubsequent strips of dunnage add to the jam rather than pushingpreceding dunnage products out of the chute.

By moving the output chute out of the way, relatively short dunnageproducts can take an alternate route or path and fall through a gravitychute rather than being fed into the output chute where they might jam.

An exemplary dunnage conversion machine provided by the presentinvention includes a conversion assembly for converting a stock materialinto a dunnage product and dispensing the dunnage product through anoutlet. The conversion assembly is capable of producing dunnage productsof multiple lengths. The conversion assembly also includes an outputchute adjacent the outlet. The output chute is moveable between a firstposition where the output chute is aligned with the outlet so thatdunnage products having at least a predetermined minimum length aredispensed through the outlet into the output chute, and a secondposition where the output chute is not aligned with the outlet so thatdunnage products having a length less than the predetermined minimumlength that are dispensed through the outlet bypass the output chute.

Another exemplary dunnage conversion machine provided by the inventionincludes a conversion assembly for converting a stock material into adunnage product and for dispensing the dunnage product through anoutlet. This conversion machine also includes an output chute adjacentthe outlet. The output chute has walls that define a passage through theoutput chute. The output chute is moveable between a first positionwhere the passage is aligned with the outlet to receive dunnageproducts, and a second position where the passage is not aligned withthe outlet. The conversion machine also includes a controller thatenables selection of a desired length of a dunnage product and controlsthe position of the outlet chute so that in its first position dunnageproducts dispensed through the outlet enter the passage through theoutput chute, and in its second position dunnage products dispensedthrough the outlet bypass the output chute.

Another exemplary dunnage conversion machine includes a conversionassembly for converting a stock material into a dunnage product as thestock material travels from an upstream end of the conversion assemblyto a downstream end of the conversion assembly. The conversion assemblyalso includes a housing that defines an outlet for dispensing thedunnage product. The conversion machine also includes an output chuteadjacent the outlet. The output chute has an upstream end that ismoveable relative to the outlet between a first position where theupstream end of the output chute is aligned with the outlet to receivedunnage products from the conversion assembly, and a second positionwhere the upstream end of the output chute is not aligned with theoutlet so that dunnage products from the conversion assembly bypass theoutput chute.

Yet another dunnage conversion machine includes a conversion assemblyfor converting a stock material into a dunnage product as the stockmaterial travels from an upstream end of the conversion assembly to adownstream end of the conversion assembly. The conversion assemblyincludes a housing that defines an outlet for dispensing the dunnageproduct. The conversion machine also includes a chute adjacent theoutlet. The conversion assembly dispenses dunnage products through theoutlet in a downstream direction. The chute has a gravity portion thatextends in a direction transverse the downstream direction, and anoutput chute portion that is moveable between a first position where theupstream end of the output chute portion is aligned with the outlet anda second position where the upstream end of the output chute portion isspaced from the outlet. In the first position, the output chute portioncloses the gravity portion, and in the second position the gravity chuteportion is open to the outlet.

An exemplary method of dispensing dunnage products includes the steps of(a) converting a stock material into a dunnage product and dispensingthe dunnage product through an outlet, (b) if the dunnage product has atleast a predetermined minimum length, moving an upstream end of anoutput chute adjacent to and in alignment with the outlet to receive,support, and guide the dunnage product as it exists the outlet. If thedunnage product has a length that is less than the predetermined minimumlength, the method includes the step of moving the upstream end of theoutput chute relative to the outlet so that dunnage products exiting theoutlet bypass the output chute.

To make it easier to re-stock the supply of stock material, the presentinvention provides a shelf that slides out for restocking, away from theconversion assembly, and slides back in to be out of the way while thedunnage converter is operating.

An exemplary dunnage conversion machine provided by the presentinvention includes a shelf for supporting a supply of stock material, aconversion assembly for converting a stock material into a dunnageproduct, and a stand that supports the conversion assembly and theshelf. The shelf is linearly movable between an operating positionadjacent the conversion assembly and a loading position spaced from theoperating position for loading stock material without moving theconversion assembly.

The foregoing and other features of the invention are hereinafter fullydescribed and particularly pointed out in the claims, the followingdescription and annexed drawings setting forth in detail certainillustrative embodiments of the invention, these embodiments beingindicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which theprinciples of the invention may be employed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an exemplary dunnage conversionmachine provided in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of operative elements of anexemplary dunnage conversion machine provided in accordance with thepresent invention.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the dunnage conversion machine shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the dunnage conversion machine shownin FIG. 3, looking downstream as seen along lines 4-4.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of the dunnage conversion machineshown in FIG. 3, as seen along lines 5-5.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional end view of the dunnage conversion machineshown in FIG. 2, looking upstream as seen along lines 6-6.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a dunnage product produced by the dunnageconversion machine shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 is a schematic representation of another dunnage conversionmachine provided in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an exemplary dunnage conversion machineconsistent with the schematic representation in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional elevation view of a portion of the dunnageconversion machine of FIG. 9 as seen generally along lines 10-10 in FIG.9.

FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view of a dunnage product produced bythe dunnage conversion machine of FIG. 9.

FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective view of a packaging system includingyet another dunnage conversion machine.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the dunnage conversion machine of FIG.12 with the left side and top panels of its housing removed to revealthe internal components.

FIG. 14 is a top view of the dunnage conversion machine of FIG. 13,looking in direction 14-14 in FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional side view of the dunnage conversion machineof FIG. 12, looking in direction 15-15 in FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view from the side of an exemplary stockmaterial supply cart for use with a dunnage conversion machine.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view from above the stock material supply cartof FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is an enlarged side view of an upstream end of the dunnageconversion machine of FIG. 15.

FIG. 19 is an enlarged schematic perspective view of a portion of a feedassembly of the dunnage conversion machine of FIG. 13.

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 19 taken along lines 20-20 andlooking in the indicated direction represented by the correspondingarrows.

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 19 taken along lines 21-21 andlooking in the direction indicated by the corresponding arrows.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a rear, upper portion of the dunnageconversion machine of FIG. 12.

FIG. 23 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of a connectingassembly of the dunnage conversion machine of FIG. 13 looking indirection 23-23 of FIG. 14.

FIG. 24 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of theconnecting assembly of the dunnage conversion machine of FIG. 13,looking in direction 24-24 of FIG. 15.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of a drive chain portion seen from theright of the dunnage conversion machine of FIG. 13 with the relevantcovers of the housing removed to reveal its components.

FIG. 26 is a front elevation view of a downstream portion of the dunnageconversion machine of FIG. 12 with the housing removed to reveal acutting assembly.

FIG. 27 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the cutting assembly ofFIG. 26 as seen along lines 26-26.

FIG. 28 is perspective view of an exemplary dunnage conversion machinewith a sliding shelf in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 29 is a side view of the dunnage conversion machine shown in FIG.28 with the shelf in a working position.

FIG. 30 is a side view of the dunnage conversion machine shown in FIG.28 with the shelf in a loading position.

FIG. 31 is a schematic perspective view of another dunnage conversionmachine provided in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 32 is a schematic illustration of the dunnage conversion machine ofFIG. 31 with an exemplary output chute provided in accordance with thepresent invention.

FIG. 33 is an enlarged cross-sectional elevation view of the outputchute of FIG. 32.

FIG. 34 is a perspective view of another exemplary output chute providedin accordance with the present invention, with the output chute in afirst position.

FIG. 35 is a top view of the output chute of FIG. 34.

FIG. 36 is an end view of the output chute of FIG. 34.

FIG. 37 is a side view of the output chute of FIG. 34 in a secondposition.

FIG. 38 is a bottom view of the output chute of FIG. 37.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention provides a dunnage conversion machine and methodfor making a wrappable dunnage product from a sheet stock material, aswell as a stock supply assembly and an output chute for a dunnageconversion machine, and corresponding methods.

Wrappable Dunnage

The present invention provides a wrappable dunnage product, a dunnageconverter for converting a sheet stock material into a wrappable dunnageproduct, and a corresponding method for producing a wrappable dunnageproduct that is relatively thicker and less dense than the stockmaterial. In particular, the present invention provides a multi-plydunnage product that has sufficient flexibility and loft to be used as aprotective layer or wrap. At least one ply of the dunnage productincludes a randomly crumpled web or sheet. Randomly crumpling at leastone sheet provides cushioning properties to the dunnage wrap. Thecrumpled sheet or sheets are held in the crumpled state along lines ofmechanical interconnection with at least one other sheet, where thelines of connection where the multiple overlaid sheets or plies are heldtogether can provide convenient fold lines.

Additionally, the dunnage converter and method provided by the presentinvention can be employed to produce a dunnage product relativelyquickly on demand as needed without the expensive pleating rollers thatcreate regular parallel folds in a sheet stock material. Moreover, theconverter and the stock material take up much less space than thewrapping dunnage product produced therefrom.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an exemplary dunnage conversion system 10provided by the invention includes a supply 12 of multiple webs of sheetstock material and a conversion machine 16 that converts the stockmaterial into a wrapping dunnage product. A suitable sheet stockmaterial includes paper and/or plastic sheets, supplied as a roll or afan-folded stack, for example. An exemplary sheet stock material for usein the conversion machine 16 includes either a single ply or a multi-plykraft paper provided either in roll form or as a series of connectedrectangular pages in a fan-folded stack. Multiple rolls or stacks may beused to provide the multiple sheets or webs of stock material forconversion to the multi-ply dunnage product.

The dunnage conversion machine 16 includes a feed mechanism 20 foradvancing at least one first sheet or web of stock materialtherethrough, and a connecting mechanism 22 for connecting multipleoverlapping sheets together downstream of the feed mechanism 20. Bypassing the stock material at a slower rate than the feed mechanism 20advances the stock material thereto, the connecting mechanism 22 retardsthe passage of the sheet stock material therethrough, which causes thestock material to randomly longitudinally crumple or fold in a confinedspace extending longitudinally between the feed mechanism 20 and theconnecting mechanism 22.

The connecting mechanism 22 connects multiple overlying sheets of thestock material, including connecting at least one crumpled first sheetto one side of another or second sheet, to form a crumpled strip ofdunnage 23. The second sheet may be a crumpled sheet that also passesthrough the feed mechanism 20 or an uncrumpled sheet that bypasses thefeed mechanism 20. The conversion machine also may include a bunchingassembly 24 to inwardly gather the sheet stock material upstream of thefeed mechanism 20 and/or a cutting mechanism 26 downstream of theconnecting mechanism 22 to sever discrete dunnage products 28 from thestrip 23 of connected sheets.

In some situations the cutting mechanism 26 can be omitted altogether,such as when discrete lengths of sheet stock material are supplied tothe feed mechanism 20 and the connecting mechanism 22. Anotheralternative is to employ a sheet stock material that is perforatedacross its width so that a length of wrapping dunnage can be torn fromthe strip of dunnage. The perforations can be formed in the stockmaterial before being supplied to the conversion machine 16 or formed aspart of the conversion process. Additionally, the conversion machine 16can automatically separate a desired length of wrapping dunnage from astrip of dunnage made of perforated stock material. This can beaccomplished by stopping the feed mechanism 20 to hold an upstreamportion of the sheet stock material while the connecting mechanism 22continues to feed the stock material therethrough. As a result, thestock material will automatically separate at a line of perforationslocated between the feed mechanism 20 and the connecting mechanism 22.

Referring now to FIGS. 2-5, further details of an exemplary conversionmachine 36 are shown. Following a path of the stock material as it movesdownstream through each component of the conversion machine 36, theconversion machine 36 includes a bunching assembly 38, a feed assemblyor mechanism 40, a connecting assembly or mechanism 42, and a cuttingassembly or mechanism 44. The feed mechanism 40 draws one or more firstsheets of stock material from a supply 46 (FIG. 5), over one or morebars or rollers 47, 48, and 49 that guide each sheet through or aroundthe bunching assembly 38.

The bunching assembly 38 laterally inwardly gathers the one or moresheets passing therethrough. This inward gathering can prevent orminimize tearing of the stock material and promote loft as the stockmaterial is fed into the feed mechanism 40. The illustrated bunchingassembly 38 includes lateral guides 50 that extend transverse thethickness of the stock material, generally upright in the illustratedorientation. The lateral guides 50 are laterally spaced on opposingsides of the path of the sheet stock material, for example at a distancethat is less than the width of the sheet, to reduce the width of thestock material.

The illustrated bunching assembly 38 also includes upper and lower guidemembers 52 and 54, which in the illustrated embodiment include guidewheels 56 that bear against the stock material. The upper and lowerguide members 52 and 54 are laterally-spaced and transversely offsetfrom one another. The guide members 52 and 54 extend into the path ofthe sheet stock material alternately from above and from below atlocations spaced across the width of the path, causing the stockmaterial to transversely undulate therebetween (see FIG. 4). Thebunching assembly 38 thus gathers or bunches a greater quantity of sheetstock material toward the center of the path, which may lead to lateralcrumpling as the sheet or sheets subsequently pass through the feedmechanism 40. Lateral crumpling can create fold lines approximatelyparallel to a longitudinal dimension of the stock material (generallyparallel to the path of the stock material) and/or an interruption ofthe lateral fold lines created by longitudinal crumpling between thefeed mechanism 40 and the connecting mechanism 42 as described below.The lateral and longitudinal crumpling of the sheet stock material isbelieved to enhance the cushioning properties of the dunnage product.The spacing between the lateral guides 50 also can be adjustable toaccommodate different widths of the stock material or to vary the amountof gathering or bunching. The bunching assembly 38 can be omitted orplaced between the feed mechanism 40 and the connecting mechanism 42 inalternative embodiments.

From the bunching assembly 38, the inwardly-drawn stock material passesto the feed mechanism 40. The illustrated feed mechanism 40 includes atleast two rotating feed members 60 and 61 for advancing the sheet stockmaterial therebetween. The feed members 60 and 61 have a surface thatprovides sufficient friction to grip the stock material, and may beknurled or have a rubber or other high-friction surface, for example, toprovide the desired grip on the stock material. The feed mechanism 40can include one pair of rotating members, a single rotating member onone side of the sheet stock material and multiple rotating members onthe other side of the stock material, or as shown, multiplelaterally-spaced pairs of rotating members 60 and 61 for advancing thesheet stock material therethrough. The opposing rotating members 60 and61 in each pair preferably, but not necessarily, are biased against oneanother to maintain a grip on the sheet stock material passingtherebetween. The illustrated rotating members are mounted on a commonshaft, however, each pair of the rotating members 60 and 61 may beindependently biased toward each other, similar to the arrangementdescribed with respect to the connecting mechanism 36 in the followingparagraphs.

The rotating members 60 and 61 additionally can have portions that allowthe stock material to periodically slip relative to the rotating members60 and 61. This relative slip can be accomplished, for example, byproviding flat portions 62 on the illustrated rotating members 60 and61. If these flat portions 62 are circumferentially spaced at laterallyspaced locations across the width of the stock material, a lateralshifting or twisting motion can be imparted to the stock material tocause differential lateral crumpling between the rotating members 60 and61 and a longitudinal space between the feed mechanism 40 and theconnecting mechanism 42.

The connecting mechanism 42 receives the stock material from the feedmechanism 40, and optionally also may receive one or more sheets thatbypass the feed mechanism 40 to provide an uncrumpled backing and/orcover sheet or sheets. The illustrated connecting mechanism 42 includesat least two rotating gear members 70 and 71 having interlaced teeth fordeforming the sheet stock material passing therebetween, therebymechanically interlocking multiple layers and multiple overlappingsheets along lines of connection to hold them together as a connectedstrip of dunnage. This mechanical connection is distinguished from achemical or adhesive bond between the layers. The gear members 70 and 71flatten, crease, fold, and/or punch the stock material as it passestherebetween.

Although the connecting mechanism 42 includes at least two rotating gearmembers 70 and 71 between which the stock material is fed, more gearmembers may be employed in various configurations, as described withrespect to the feed members 60 and 61. Thus the gear members 70 and 71may include a single gear stretching across the width of the stockmaterial opposed by another gear, or one or more gears opposing thesingle gear at laterally-spaced positions, or the illustrated pluralityof laterally-spaced pairs of opposed gears 70 and 71.

The rotating gear members 70 and 71 are driven at a rate that is lessthan the rate that the feed mechanism 40 advances the sheet stockmaterial thereto. In an exemplary embodiment each pair of connectinggears 70 and 71 includes a biasing member 74 that biases one gear 70toward an opposing gear 71 and thereby provides an adjustable pinchpressure between each pair of gears. Accordingly, if more tension isneeded at a particular location, for example toward an outer edge of thesheet stock material, selected gears may have their pinch pressureadjusted to effect the desired quality or character of the connectionbetween the multiple sheets passing therebetween.

Thus in the illustrated embodiment the gear members 71 on one side ofthe path are supported by pivot shafts 75 pivotally connected to acorresponding axle 76 of the feed mechanism 40. Each gear member 71 isbiased toward the opposing gear member 70 by a biasing device 74 thatincludes a spring 77. The spring 77 is interposed between a fixed framemember 78 and a yoke 79 connected to the gear member 71 and the pivotshafts 75. A bolt 81 axially aligned with and on one side of the spring77 is threadably mounted to the frame member 78 to allow for adjustmentof the biasing force applied by the spring 77. Because each of the gearmembers 70 and 71 is independently supported and biased toward theopposing gear member 70, differential pinch pressure may be applied atlocations spaced across the width of the stock material. The presentinvention is not limited to the illustrated structure, however, andequivalent biasing devices may be employed to provide independentadjustability at different locations as the stock material passesthrough the connecting mechanism 42.

Guide chute or tunnel elements 80 constrain the movement of the stockmaterial passing between the feed mechanism 40 and the connectingmechanism 42 to cause the stock material driven therebetween to randomlycrumple within the restricted longitudinal space defined by the walls ofthe tunnel 80, the feed mechanism 40 and the connecting mechanism 42.Longitudinal crumpling creates fold lines extending approximatelytransverse the longitudinal dimension of the stock material, whichgenerally is perpendicular to the path of the stock material through themachine 36. When longitudinal crumpling is combined with crumplingaction caused by the inward bunching of the bunching assembly 38 and anylateral twisting or shifting caused by the feed mechanism 40, the sheetstock material is randomly crumpled, creating fold lines with randomlengths and orientations, and an irregular pitch between the folds.

To connect one or more uncrumpled sheets of stock material to thecrumpled sheet or sheets, the dunnage converter 36 can provide a bypasspath for an uncrumpled sheet or sheets to bypass the feed mechanism 40and join with the crumpled sheet or sheets at the connecting mechanism42. The connecting mechanism 42 then connects the uncrumpled sheet orsheets to the crumpled sheet or sheets. To that end a bypass guidemember, such as a guide bar or roller 49, may be provided to guide theuncrumpled sheet or sheets around the bunching assembly 38 and/or thefeed mechanism 40 to the connecting mechanism 42. A corresponding guidebar or roller can be provided on an opposing side of the feed mechanism40 to direct one or more additional uncrumpled sheets around the feedmechanism 40 to be secured to an opposing side of the one or morecrumpled sheets by the connecting mechanism 42.

To obtain the desired length of dunnage products, the sheet stockmaterial may be perforated across its width so that lengths of thefinished products can be torn off as desired for use in wrapping anarticle or for layering inside a container. The perforations can beformed prior to the stock material being supplied to the conversionmachine or formed as part of the conversion process, as noted above. Arotating perforating wheel, rotating in the direction of the stockmaterial, can operate without stopping the conversion process. Theperforations also can be formed to provide variable lengths of wrappingdunnage as needed. By stopping the feed mechanism 20 and continuing todrive the connecting mechanism 22, the machine 16 can burst the stockmaterial at the perforations to separate a length of wrapping materialfrom the strip of dunnage. The stock material alternatively may bepre-cut to form discrete sheets of the desired length, or as shown inthe illustrated embodiment, the conversion machine 36 may include acutting mechanism 44 downstream of the connecting mechanism 42 forcutting a desired length from the connected strip of dunnage 73.

An exemplary cutting mechanism 44 includes a rotatable cutting wheel 90movable across the path of the sheet stock material and a stationaryblade 92 against which the cutting wheel acts to cut the crumpled stripof dunnage 73 therebetween. Other cutting mechanisms may be used inplace of or in addition to the illustrated cutting mechanism 44 toseparate a dunnage product 100 from the connected strip 73.

The feed mechanism 40 and the connecting mechanism 42 may be enclosedpartially or completely within a housing (not shown). In which case, tofacilitate loading a new supply of stock material into the conversionmachine 16 or for maintenance, the housing may be openable to access thefeed mechanism 40 and the connecting mechanism 42. In fact, one of theupper or lower rotating members 60 and 61 of the feed mechanism 40 andthe respective upper or lower gear member 70 and 71 of the connectingmechanism 42 may be connected to an openable portion of the housing toseparate the rotating members 60 and 61 and separate the gear members 70and 71 to facilitate access to the path of the stock material throughthe conversion machine 16 along which it is converted into a dunnageproduct 100.

The resulting dunnage product 100, shown in FIG. 7, includes at leastone, and preferably a plurality, of laterally-spaced,longitudinally-extending connecting bands 102 where the sheet stockmaterial is embossed or pierced or punched or otherwise connected tohold multiple plies 104 and 106 of stock material together. The stockmaterial generally is compressed in these connecting bands 102 and thusthe crumpled plies 104 provide relatively greater loft in cushioningregions 110 outside the connecting bands 102.

In a wrapping product that has an uncrumpled ply 106, the uncrumpled plyacts as a carrier for the crumpled ply. If the same width of stockmaterial is used for the uncrumpled ply 106 and the one or more crumpledplies 104, the crumpling process generally will reduce the width of thecrumpled ply or plies 104 such that the uncrumpled carrier ply 106 willextend laterally beyond the laterally-outer edges of the crumpled ply orplies 104. These laterally-outer portions also may be folded inwardlyinto the connecting bands 102 before or after being connected to furtherstiffen the dunnage product lengthwise, provide a more consistentfinished edge and/or to improve the quality of the connection betweenthe multiple layers of stock material.

Additionally, if more than one uncrumpled ply 106 is desired, theadditional uncrumpled sheet or sheets may be fed into the connectingmechanism 36 (FIG. 2) on the same side or on opposing sides of thecrumpled sheet or sheets. The random crumpling of the crumpled ply orplies 104 and the laterally-spaced connecting bands 102 holding theuncrumpled ply or plies 106 to the crumpled ply or plies 104 provides ahigh quality dunnage product.

Changing the number of crumpled sheets, the weight of the stock materialemployed, or the use of either a crumpled or an uncrumpled carrier sheetcan be used to vary the cushioning or other properties of the wrappingproduct. Cushioning properties also can be controlled by changing aratio of the feed rate of the stock material through the feed mechanism40 and the connecting mechanism 42. Adjusting the gap betweenlaterally-spaced bunching guides also can change the final wrappingproduct.

Referring back to FIG. 5 for a moment, in an exemplary operationmultiple sheets P₁, P₂ and P₃ of stock material are fed from the supply46, at least one sheet, and in the illustrated embodiment two sheets P₁and P₂, are laterally-inwardly bunched in the bunching assembly 38 andadvanced by the feed mechanism 40 through the pulling feed wheels 60 and61 toward the connecting gears 70 and 71. Because the connectingmechanism 42 rotates the gears 70 and 71 at a slower rate than the feedwheels 60 and 61, the stock material will longitudinally bunch up in thetunnel 80 connecting the two, thereby creating random crumples or foldsin the stock material. The connecting mechanism 42 pulls the crumpledsheets P₁ and P₂ of stock material therebetween, along with anuncrumpled carrier sheet P₃, if any, that bypassed the feed mechanism40, and connects the multiple sheets P₁, P₂ and P₃ together as theoverlying plies pass between the connecting gears 70 and 71. Finally, ifa cutting mechanism 44 is employed, a desired length of dunnage is cutfrom the connected strip 73 of dunnage to provide a dunnage product 100(FIG. 7) with the desired length.

In operation, paper or other sheet stock material P₁, P₂, and P₃ flowsfrom a supply 12 thereof, for example from a roll or a stack, through abunching assembly 24. In this assembly, the stock material is bunchedtoward the center so as to reduce the width of the web of stockmaterial. In the feed mechanism 20, a series of rollers or wheels feedthe inwardly-bunched stock material toward a connecting mechanism 22.These feed wheels rotate faster than gears in the connecting mechanism22, however, thereby retarding the advance of the stock material andcausing the stock material to randomly longitudinally fold, crumple,and/or roll. Unlike the shapes formed between pleating rollers, however,the crumpled folds formed during the crumpling operation are irregularand randomly oriented, although generally falling within a range ofwidths or lengths. The height or width of the folds or crumpled portionscan be controlled by adjusting the gap between the bunching guides. Asthe stock material is fed through the feed and connecting mechanisms 20and 22, the crumpled folds are creased, crimped, or otherwise fixedalong relatively narrow lines of connection to maintain their crumplednature and provide loft in the dunnage product. This action forms thefinished dunnage product, which then can be cut to a desired length.

In summary, a dunnage conversion machine 36 converts a sheet stockmaterial into a dunnage product that is relatively thicker and lessdense than the stock material, but is relatively thin and sufficientlyflexible to function as a protective wrap. The conversion machine 36includes a feed mechanism 40 that advances a sheet stock materialtherethrough and a connecting mechanism 42 downstream of the feedmechanism 40. The connecting mechanism 42 retards the passage of thesheet stock material therethrough by feeding the stock materialtherethrough at a slower rate than the feed mechanism 40 feeds the stockmaterial to the connecting mechanism 42. This causes the stock materialto randomly crumple in a longitudinal space between the feed mechanism40 and the connecting mechanism 42. The connecting mechanism 42 connectsmultiple overlapping layers of sheet stock material together as theypass therethrough, including connecting at least one crumpled sheet toone side of one other sheet. The other sheet can be advanced through thefeed mechanism 40 and crumpled, or guided around the feed mechanism 40to the connecting mechanism 42 to be connected to the crumpled sheet orsheets.

Alternative Wrappable Dunnage Converter

FIGS. 8-10 show another embodiment of a dunnage conversion machine 200provided in accordance with the present invention. The conversionmachine 200 converts a sheet stock material into a wrapping dunnageproduct, and includes a supply of sheet stock material 202, a feedassembly 204 that draws multiple plies P₁ and P₂ of sheet stock materialfrom the supply, and a connecting assembly 206 that connects the pliestogether to form a strip of dunnage 207. The connecting assembly 206passes the plies or sheets of stock material therethrough at a slowerrate than the rate at which the plies are fed from the feed assembly204, thereby cooperating with the feed assembly 204 to cause the stockmaterial to randomly crumple between the feed assembly 204 and theconnecting assembly 206. A cutting assembly 208 downstream of theconnecting assembly 206 severs discrete lengths of a wrapping dunnageproduct 209 from the strip 207. These components similar to thecorresponding components of the preceding embodiment, except as noted.For example, the illustrated conversion machine 200 does not employ thebunching assembly 38 (FIG. 1) of the previous embodiment.

Between the supply 202 and the feed assembly 204, the conversion machine200 includes a series of three bars or rollers 210, 212, and 214 withaxes that are aligned in parallel and in a common plane that is inclinedrelative to the downstream direction. These rollers 210, 212, and 214define a serpentine path for the sheet stock material as it travels fromthe stock supply 202 to the feed assembly 204. These rollers can be usedin conjunction with a fan-fold supply of sheet stock material to providea relatively consistent tension on the stock material coming from thesupply or supplies, particularly when the supply includes a fan-foldedstock material. The rollers also provide better tracking, so that thestock material enters the feed assembly 204 in a more consistent laterallocation.

The illustrated conversion machine 200 produces an at least two-plywrapping dunnage product 209. After the serpentine rollers 210, 212, and214, both plies P₁ and P₂ enter the feed assembly 204. As in theprevious embodiment, the feed assembly 204 includes upper and lowerrotating member 216 and 218 that form pairs of laterally-spaced rotatingmembers, in this case wheels. The alternative arrangements describedabove also can employed in this embodiment. The upper rotating members216 engage and advance an upper ply of sheet material and the lowerrotating members 218 engage and advance a lower ply of sheet material.The rotating members 216 and 218 in this embodiment are mounted oncommon laterally-extending shafts, and the upper rotating members 216are pivotably mounted and biased against the lower rotating members 218.

At an upstream end of the feed assembly 204 at least one ply isseparated from at least one other ply. Typically only two plies P1 andP2 are used, and the two plies follow different paths into the feedassembly 204. This is accomplished with a separator 220 having a roundupstream end 222 and a plate member 224 extending therefrom in adownstream direction into the feed assembly 204 and between two pairs oflaterally spaced-apart rotating members or wheels 216 and 218 that formpart of the feed assembly 204. These rotating member pairs 216 and 218are laterally spaced on opposite sides of the separator plate or engageone another through laterally-spaced openings in the separator plate.

Above and below the separator plate 224, upper and lower channel guidemember 226 and 228 or channel guide plates define a path through thefeed assembly 204 and the connecting assembly 206. These channel guides226 and 228 define the upper and lower boundaries that confine the sheetstock material therein to facilitate the crumpling of the stock materialbetween the feed assembly 204 and the slower speed connecting assembly206. The sides of this pathway are bounded by opposing laterally-spacedframe members 230 and 232, which also support the transverse shafts ofthe feed assembly 204 and the connecting assembly 206 in thisembodiment. In addition, the separator plate 224 generally is parallelto the upper and lower guide members 226 and 228, but is closer to oneof the guide members. Consequently, the stock material passes on eitherside of, in this case above and below the separator plate 224, wherebythe stock material on either side will fold and crumple asymmetrically.This asymmetrical folding and crumpling yields two different crumpledsheets generally having waveforms with independent frequencies andamplitudes in the irregular crumpling of the sheet material.Accordingly, the different size ply in-feed chambers or passages definedby the channel guides 226 and 228 and the separator plate 224 allow theplies to randomly crumple with different frequencies and amplitudes sothe plies are less likely to interlock when they are brought together,thereby providing more loft after the plies are connected. Without theseparator plate 224, the plies would nest into each other to create athinner, less supportive dunnage product.

After the feed assembly 204, the separator plate 224 ends and the upperand lower channel guide plates 226 and 228 converge adjacent theconversion assembly 206. This causes the separate plies to come togetherand become connected to one another as they pass through the connectingassembly 206 together. And while the upper and lower channel guides 226and 228 define a converging space at the upstream side of the connectingassembly 206, the channel guides do not have to converge and cancontinue straight, all the way through the connecting assembly 206without reducing the volume of the passage for the stock material.

Although this embodiment lacks the bunching assembly 38 (FIG. 1) of theprevious embodiment, the illustrated conversion machine 204 includeslaterally spaced-apart forming plow 234 between the feed assembly 204and the connecting assembly 206 that reduce the width of the stockmaterial and inwardly fold the free lateral edges as the stock materialpasses thereby. The forming plows 234 each have a curved surface that ismounted to extend into the path of the lateral edges of the stockmaterial, gradually protruding further inward toward a downstream endthereof. As the lateral edges of the stock material are folded or turnedinwardly by the lateral plows 234, the edges of the stock material ofone layer can fold around and enclose the edges of the other layer, andthe connecting assembly 206 then mechanically connects the overlappinglayers together. This makes the lateral edges of the finished dunnageproduct more uniform, and the additional folding and the resultingadditional layers passing through the connecting assembly 206 to formthe connecting lines helps to hold the dunnage product together better.The conversion machine 200 defined by this feed assembly 204 andconnecting assembly 206 provides approximately 40-55% crimp loss. Thismeans that the wrap dunnage product that is produced is approximately40-55% shorter than the stock material that is used to produce it.

The connecting assembly 206, like the feed assembly 204, includes twopairs of laterally spaced-apart rotating gear members or gears 236 and238 that are biased together and connect the overlapped layers of stockmaterial as the stock material passes between the gears. Alternativearrangements described with respect to the previous embodiment also arecontemplated for this embodiment. Upper gears 236 are biased againstlower gears 238 by a biasing member, such as a spring. The biasedrotating members 216, 218 of the feed assembly 204 and the biased gears236 and 238 of the connecting assembly 206 are each mounted in acantilever fashion for rotation about respective pivots 240 and 241 sothat a smaller spring can be used to provide sufficient biasing force.

In the illustrated conversion machine 200, the feed assembly 204 and theconnecting assembly 206 are driven by a common electric drive motor 242.The drive motor 242 positively drives the lower rotating members 218 ofthe feed assembly 204 and is connected to the lower gear members 238 ofthe connecting assembly 206 via a chain and suitable sprocket (notshown). The ratio of the speed between the rotating members 216 and 218of the feed assembly 204 and the gears 236 and 238 of the connectingassembly 206 can readily be adjusted by adjusting the relative sizes ofthe sprockets and providing a suitable chain therebetween.Alternatively, separate motors can be provided to separately drive thefeed assembly 204 and the connecting assembly 206. A transmission alsomay be provided instead of the illustrated chain drive, to provide theability to change the relative speeds of the feed wheels 216 and 218 andthe gears 236, 238 without interrupting their operation.

A separate cut motor 244 drives a guillotine-style cutting assemblywhich includes a cutting blade 246 that extends across the width of thepath of the dunnage strip and has a pair of crank arms 248 aligned withthe laterally-spaced rotating members 216 and 218 of the feed assembly204 and the gears 236 and 238 of the connecting assembly 206 topositively drive the cutting blade 246 through the layers of crumpledstock material with the most force applied at the lines of connection.The crank arms 248 are connected to a common shaft 250 and rotatethrough a cycle defined by respective cams 252. As noted above, thestock material could be perforated so that a length of wrapping dunnagecan be torn from the strip of dunnage.

As shown in FIG. 11, the resulting wrapping dunnage product 209 includestwo plies 262 and 264 of randomly crumpled sheet stock material.Although the exact variation in the crumpled undulations isunpredictable, the amplitude and frequency of the undulations generallycan be approximately predicted statistically, and is the result of thedifferential speed of the rotating members 216 and 218 of the feedassembly 204 and the gears 236 and 238 of the connecting assembly 206,and the size of the respective channels between the separator plate 224and the channel guide plate 226 or 228 bounding the other side of thespace through which a respective ply 262 or 264 travels (see FIG. 9).Because the gap is different on each side of the separator 220, thefrequency F₁ and amplitude A₁ of the upper ply 262 relative to thefrequency F₂ and the amplitude A₂ of the lower ply 264 generally aredifferent. The differential crumpling keeps the two plies 262 and 264from nesting with one another when they come together, thereby retainingloft in the resulting dunnage wrap 209.

Another Wrappable Dunnage Converter

Yet another exemplary dunnage conversion machine 300 is shown in FIGS.12-15. This conversion machine is consistent with the schematicrepresentation of the dunnage conversion machine 200 of FIG. 9. Unlessspecified, features of this conversion machine 300 are substantiallysimilar or the same as those of one or both of the previous embodiments.While the basic operation of this conversion machine is similar to thatdescribed with regard to the previous two embodiments, this conversionmachine includes several features that make it easier to load and lesslikely to jam.

An exemplary packaging system 322 shown in FIG. 12 includes theconversion machine 300, the conveyor 318 for transporting containers 324to a packaging location adjacent the outlet 316, and a control sensor326 mounted adjacent the conveyor 318 at a position upstream of theconversion machine 300. By measuring and/or inputting the conveyorspeed, a controller 330 incorporated into the conversion machine 300 orremote from the conversion machine 300 can use a signal from the controlsensor 326 to trigger a timer. The length of time from when the sensor326 is triggered until a container 324 on the conveyor 318 is no longersensed by the sensor 326 can be used to determine the length of thecontainer 324 and thereby the length of an appropriate wrapping dunnageproduct. The controller 330 can automatically determine the appropriatelength and control the conversion machine 300 to dispense the wrappingdunnage product directly to the container.

A suitable application for such a system 322 would arise when a wrappingdunnage product will be used as a bottom or top layer in the container.Consequently, the production of a wrapping dunnage product for layeringin a container can be automated and a wrapping product of theappropriate length can be provided automatically and on demand in a morecompact configuration than a pre-produced supply of wrapping dunnagematerial.

The conversion machine 300 generally includes a housing 302 thatsurrounds or incorporates both a conversion assembly that includes afeed assembly 304 and a connecting assembly 306, and a cutting assembly306. The conversion machine 300 also includes the forming plows 312between the feed assembly 304 and the connecting assembly 306 that weredescribed with reference to the previous embodiment. The housing 302 ismounted to a stand 314 to raise an outlet 316 of the housing 302 above apackaging surface. In the illustrated embodiment the packaging surfaceincludes a conveyor 318. The housing 302 is pivotable about an axis 320to direct the wrapping product to output in a desired direction.

An exemplary stock supply assembly 332 in this system 322 supplies twoplies P₁ and P₂ to the dunnage conversion machine 300. To facilitatesupplying two plies or webs of sheet stock material to the conversionmachine 300, an exemplary stock supply 332 includes a stand 334 (FIGS.16 and 17) for supporting two separate stacks of fan-fold sheet stockmaterial. An exemplary stand is shown in FIGS. 16 and 17. The stand 334includes a base 336, a pair of spaced-apart upright frame members 340having cross-members 342 to hold the upright members 340 upright, andtransverse bars or rollers 344 spanning an upper portion of the uprightmembers 340 to help guide the stock material to the conversion machine300 (FIG. 12). The upright members 340 define opposingsubstantially-open sides 343 that facilitate loading stacks of fan-foldstock material therein. Lower regions of the open sides 343 includeinwardly-extending supports 346 to help support a stack. Additionally, acentral portion 350 of the upright members 346 protrudes inwardly tosupport an opposing side of the stack and separate the two supplies orstacks. These inwardly-extending and inwardly-protruding portions 346and 350 of the upright members 340 also stiffen the upright framemembers 340. Additionally, the illustrated stand 334 is provided withwheels 352 for mobility so that it also functions as a cart.

From the stand 334 or other supply 332, each ply P₁ and P₂ passesthrough separate sets of serpentine guides 354, shown in FIGS. 13-15 andparticularly FIG. 18. The serpentine guides 354 provide both adequatetension and encourage proper tracking of each ply as it enters the feedassembly 304. The serpentine guides 354, mounted at the upstream end ofthe conversion machine 300, define serpentine paths for each ply ofstock material and include an upper set of three rollers 356, 358, and360 that define a serpentine path for an upper ply of stock material anda lower set of three rollers 366, 368, and 370 that define a serpentinepath for a lower ply of stock material. The axes of the rollers in eachset generally are provided in respective planes that are angled relativeto the downstream direction. As a result, each ply P₁ and P₂ has adirect path from the outlet adjacent the downstream-most rollers 360 and370 of each set to upper or lower wheels 372 and 374 of the feedassembly 304.

The center roller 358 and 368 of each set is mounted between a pair ofswing arms 376. The swing arms 376 are rotatable about pivots 380between an operating position in-line with the other rollers 356 and 360or 366 and 370 and a loading position removed from the operatingposition. The loading position provides a large passage between thecenter roller and the other two rollers so that the stock material canbe fed between the rollers more easily. Loading then becomes a simpletask of laying the stock material over the two rollers and under thecenter roller and into the feed assembly 304. Then the operator can pushthe center roller back down to its aligned operating position, therebyweaving the stock material into an undulating or serpentine path throughthe three aligned rollers. Grab bars 382 and 383 attached to the swingarms 376, parallel to and spaced from the center roller 358 or 368,facilitates manually moving the center roller out of line with the otherrollers to the loading position and then back to the operating positionin line with the other rollers. The central roller can be secured in theoperating position, such as by using a spring-loaded element thatengages a detent (not shown).

From the serpentine guides 354, each ply P₁ and P₂ enters the feedassembly 304 on a respective side of a separator plate 384 that extendsbetween the wheels 372 and 374 of the feed assembly 304 and defines apassage for each ply P₁ and P₂ between upper and lower channel guides386 and 388. The channel guides 386 and 388 flare outward, away from oneanother, at an upstream end to receive the plies, and then extendparallel to each other through the feed assembly 304 and the connectingassembly 306 to guide the stock material therethrough to the cuttingassembly 310. As noted previously, the channel guides 386 and 388 alsoconfine the stock material between the feed assembly 304 and theconnecting assembly 306.

The feed assembly 332 includes laterally-spaced upper and lower pairs ofrotating members or wheels 372 and 374, and a wheel lifter to separatethe upper and lower wheels 372 and 374 to facilitate loading a newsupply of sheet stock material. Unlike the separately-supported upperwheels 216 (FIG. 10) of the preceding feed assembly, the upper wheels372 in the feed assembly 304 shown in FIGS. 12-15 are secured to acommon shaft 390.

Referring now to FIGS. 19-22, the wheel shaft 390 is supported at itslateral ends by a pair of opposing housing blocks 392 mounted outsidethe lateral side plate frame members 394, a pair of lifting plates 396inward of the housing blocks 392, and a lifting cam shaft 400. Eachhousing block 392 houses a compression spring 402 to bias the upper andlower rotating members or wheels 372 and 374 toward one another. Thehousing block 392 has a recess or pocket 404 that receives an end of thelifting cam shaft 400 and holds it in place, and through-slots 406 thatallows the wheel shaft 390 to translate vertically on parallel guides.The wheel shaft 390 has a hole 410 near its end where a bolt 408 passesthrough to act as a spring compressor as well as the guide for linearmovement of the wheel shaft 390.

The lifting cam shaft 400 is in-line with, parallel to, and above thewheel shaft 390 in the illustrated embodiment. The lifting shaft 400spans the full width of the feed assembly 304 and its lateral ends arecaptured within the pockets 404 in the housing blocks 392. One side ofeach end of the lifting cam shaft 400 is milled down to a flat 411 suchthat the lifting cam shaft 400 sits below its tangency on the flats 411in the pockets 404 of the housing blocks 392. The lifting plates 396have a clearance hole for the cam shaft 400 and a slot for the wheelshaft 390 to allow the translation motion of the wheel shaft therein.

A hole toward the center of the lifting cam shaft 400 receives a leverarm 412 that can extend outside the housing 302 of the conversionmachine 300. The hole and the lever arm 412 are parallel to the flats411 in the illustrated embodiment. Rotating the lever arm 412 throughninety degrees from an operating position to a loading position rotatesthe ends of the cam shaft 400 off their flats 411 onto their roundportions. The lifting plates 396 transfer this rotational motion to thewheel shaft 390, and thus to the upper rotating members or wheels 372,thereby providing a gap between the upper and lower wheels 372 and 374,between which the sheet stock material can be fed without obstructionall the way to rotating gears 414 and 416 in the connecting assembly 306(FIG. 15). Once the stock material is loaded, returning the lever arm412 to its operating position closes the gap between the upper and lowerwheels 372 and 374 of the feed assembly 304. In the operating position,the spring 402 biases the shaft 390 of the upper wheels 372 towardagainst the lower wheels 374, now with the stock material therebetween.

As mentioned above, the conversion machine 300 includes forming plows312 shown in FIGS. 13-15 of essentially the same shape as in theprevious embodiment, mounted between the feed assembly 304 and theconnecting assembly 306 to urge inwardly lateral edge portions of thesheet stock material. The lateral edge portions of one ply also may turnor fold over the edge portions of another ply, and the resultingincreased number of layers will be connected together as they passbetween the gears 414 and 416 of the connecting assembly 306.

Referring now to FIGS. 23 and 24, to assist the channel guide plates 386and 388 in guiding the crumpled stock material past the gears 414 and416 in the connecting assembly 306, the conversion machine 300 employsstripper bars 418 and 419 to strip crimped stock material from betweenthe teeth of the gears 414 and 416 to minimize or prevent jamming of thestock material in the gears 414 and 416. Each stripper bar 418 and 419extends through an annular recess or valley between laterally-spacedgear segments 422. Because the stripper bars 418 and 419 are smallerthan the space between the gear shafts 421 and 423 and the diameter ofthe gears 414 and 416 between the gear teeth, and passes the gear at apoint adjacent the shaft, they do not interfere with the connectingoperation in any way. The upper strippers 418 on the biased idler gears414 are attached to a gear support 424 upstream and downstream of eachgear 414, allowing the stripper bars 418 to move with the pivotable gearsupport 424 while still providing the necessary stripping action in acentral portion of the gear 414. The lower stripper member 419 is fixedand does not move, since the lower gear 416 only rotates.

As in the previous embodiment, the feed assembly 304 and the connectingassembly 306 are driven by a common drive motor 430. The drive motor 430is connected to the lower wheels 374 of the feed assembly 304 and thelower gears 416 of the connecting assembly 306 via a drive chain 432 andrespective sprockets 434 and 436, as seen in FIG. 25. Since the drivesprockets 434 and 436 that are used to drive the wheels 372 and 374 ofthe feed assembly 304 and the gears 414 and 416 of the connectingassembly 306 are located outside the side plate frame members or walls394, the sprockets 434 and 436 are readily accessible. Changing thechain 432 and a sprocket 434 and 436 are the only items necessary tochange the amount of crimp loss and average crumpling frequency. Whilethis approach is relatively simple and inexpensive, the machine canalternatively include a transmission and/or separate motors to controlthe relative speeds on the fly, without stopping the conversion process.As noted above, the relative amplitude of the crumpling generally isdefined by the separator plate 384 and its distance from the upper andlower guide plates 386 and 388 (FIG. 15).

The connected strip of dunnage exiting the connecting assembly 306passes downstream to the cutting assembly 310. The cutting assembly 310in this embodiment is shown in FIGS. 26 and 27 and is similar to thecutting assembly 208 (FIG. 9) in the previous embodiment. The cuttingassembly 310 includes a guillotine-style cutting blade 440 whosemovement is directed by a twin four-bar linkage 442 and a sliderassembly 444. A separate cut motor 445 drives the four-bar linkage 442via a gear box 446. A drive shaft 448 symmetric about the gear box 446has a drive crank 450 on opposing ends of the shaft 448. Each drivecrank 450 is attached to a second crank 452 which in turn attaches to acarriage 453 that supports the cutting blade 440. The cutting bladecarriage 453 rides on a pair of parallel shafts or slider arms 454 toguide the cutting blade 440 as it moves across the path of the strip ofdunnage to sever a discrete length of a wrapping dunnage product fromthe strip. Each of the crank arms 450 is aligned with one of thelaterally-spaced gear pairs 414 and 416 of the connecting assembly 306to concentrate the force applied to cutting the strip of dunnage at theconnecting lines, which are the areas of maximum resistance to beingcut.

The cutting blade carriage 453 has an angled surface 456 behind theblade edge. This angle removes any flat surface upon which slivers ofthe cut dunnage product could rest. From the cutting blade 440, thehousing exit chute 460 continues a downward slope out of the machine300. This allows the next strip of dunnage formed in series to sweep outthe remnants from the previous strip of dunnage.

Finally, this conversion machine 300 also provides two ways to detectjams. Refer back to FIGS. 12-15. First, the controller 330 senses whenthe speed of the drive motor 430 falls below a set limit compared to itsintended running speed. Second, an optical sensor 462 is mounted nearthe idler gear support 424 in the connecting assembly 306. This sensor462 has a fixed focal length, and when the stock material backs-up,narrowing the gap between the sensor and the original path of the stockmaterial, the controller 330 identifies this as a jam and the controller330 can stop the machine 300 and output a signal to alert an operator.

These features of the dunnage conversion machine 300 make it easier toload, improve the tension and tracking of the incoming plies of stockmaterial as well as the cutting of a dunnage product from the strip, andallow the conversion machine to operate longer without jamming, yetquickly alert an operator in the event of a jam. All while stillproducing a quality wrapping dunnage product in a compact machineon-demand in the desired length as needed.

In summary, and referring to FIG. 1, the present invention provides adunnage conversion machine 36 converts a sheet stock material into adunnage product that is relatively thicker and less dense than the stockmaterial, but is relatively thin and sufficiently flexible to functionas a protective wrap. The conversion machine 36 includes a feedmechanism 40 that advances a sheet stock material therethrough and aconnecting mechanism 42 downstream of the feed mechanism 40. Theconnecting mechanism 42 retards the passage of the sheet stock materialtherethrough by feeding the stock material therethrough at a slower ratethan the feed mechanism 40 feeds the stock material to the connectingmechanism 42. This causes the stock material to randomly crumple in alongitudinal space between the feed mechanism 40 and the connectingmechanism 42. The connecting mechanism 42 connects multiple overlappinglayers of sheet stock material together as they pass therethrough,including connecting at least one crumpled sheet to one side of oneother sheet.

Sliding Stock Supply Shelf

The present invention also provides a dunnage conversion machine havinga shelf for supporting a supply of stock material, a conversion assemblyfor converting stock material into a dunnage product dispensed throughan outlet in a downstream direction, and a stand that supports theconversion assembly and the shelf. The shelf is linearly movable betweenan operating position adjacent the conversion assembly and a loadingposition spaced from the operating position for loading stock materialwithout moving the conversion assembly.

Referring now in detail to the drawings and initially to FIGS. 28-30,the present invention provides a dunnage conversion machine 1000 forproducing dunnage products for use in packing objects in a container.The conversion machine or converter 1000 includes a dunnage conversionassembly 1002 for converting a stock material 1004 into a dunnageproduct 1006 and a stand 1010 that supports the conversion assembly1002.

The conversion assembly 1002 is capable of converting the stock material1004 into a dunnage product 1006 as the stock material moves through theconversion assembly in an upstream-to-downstream direction, from anupstream end 1014 to a downstream end 1016. The converter 1000 typicallyincludes a housing 1022 for the conversion assembly 1002. The conversionassembly 1002 dispenses the dunnage product 1012 through an outlet 1020defined by a downstream end of the housing 1022. Any type of conversionassembly that converts a stock material into a relatively less densedunnage product can be used in accordance with the present invention. Anexemplary conversion assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,676,589,which is hereby incorporated by reference.

The stand 1010 includes a frame 1024 with uprights 1026 for supportingthe conversion assembly 1002 at an elevated position, and can alsoinclude one or more wheels 1030 to help transport the converter 1000.

In addition to the conversion assembly 1002, the stand 1010 alsosupports a shelf 1032 for supporting a supply of stock material 1004.The shelf 1032 defines a horizontal, substantially flat and continuoussurface for supporting the supply of stock material.

The stock material 1004, such as a container of stock material or astack of fan-folded sheet stock material is supported on the shelf 1032to be fed into the conversion assembly 1002 for conversion into adunnage product 1006. An exemplary stock material 1004 includes one ormore stacks of fan-folded kraft paper. The stock material 1004 supportedon the shelf 1032 can be fed into the upstream end 1014 of theconversion assembly 1002 for conversion into dunnage products 1006.

The shelf 1032 is linearly movable between a working or operatingposition (FIG. 29) adjacent the conversion assembly 1002 and a loadingposition (FIG. 30) spaced from the operating position for loading stockmaterial without moving the conversion assembly 1002. The illustratedstand 1010 supports the conversion assembly 1002 above the shelf 1032.In the operating position, the shelf 1032 is under the conversionassembly 1002.

In the illustrated converter 1000, the shelf 1032 is mounted to thestand 1010 by a pair of parallel, spaced apart, telescoping support andguide members 1034, such as commonly available drawer slides. Both theoutlet 1020 of the conversion assembly 1002 and shelf 1032 in theloading position are on the same side of the conversion machine 1000.The packer or other operator both can retrieve dunnage products 1006from the outlet 1020 and load the stock material 1004 from thedownstream end 1016 of the converter 1000. This is advantageous whenspace is limited, such as when the conversion assembly 1002 ispositioned underneath a table 1036 or other work surface as shown inFIG. 28. This allows an operator to more efficiently supply stockmaterial, splice a new supply of stock material to an almost-spentsupply stock material, and/or return to a packing operation as quicklyas possible.

An exemplary method of loading a dunnage conversion machine 100 thusincludes the following steps: (a) linearly moving the shelf 1032 fromthe operating position (FIG. 29) to the loading position (FIG. 30)without moving the conversion assembly 1002, (b) loading a supply ofstock material 1004 onto the shelf 1032, and (c) returning the shelf1032 to the operating position (FIG. 29). The method can also includethe step of splicing a new supply of stock material to an almost-spentsupply of stock material before the step of (c) returning the shelf 1032to the operating position.

Short-Dunnage Output Chute Bypass

In the place of or in addition to the shelf, the conversion machine caninclude an output chute with an upstream end that is moveable relativeto the outlet. In a first position, the output chute is aligned with theoutlet to receive dunnage products, and in a second position theupstream end of the output chute is moved out of alignment with theoutlet so that dunnage products from the conversion assembly bypass theoutput chute.

To dispense dunnage products with lengths both under and over a minimumlength to prevent jamming in a typical output chute, the presentinvention provides an output chute that can be moved out of the way todispense relatively short dunnage products along a separate path thatdoes not go through the output chute.

Turning now to FIGS. 31-38 an exemplary dunnage conversion machine orconverter 1100 is shown. The converter 1100 includes a conversionassembly 1154 that converts a stock material 1156 into a dunnage product1160 as the stock material travels from an upstream end 1162 of theconversion assembly 1154 to a downstream end 1164 in anupstream-to-downstream direction 1166. Any conversion assembly that iscapable of producing dunnage products of multiple lengths can be used inthe converter 1100 provided by the invention.

The converter 1100 includes a housing 1168 for a conversion assembly1154. A downstream end of the housing 1168 defines an outlet 1170 forthe conversion assembly 1154. The conversion assembly 1154 dispensesdunnage products 1160 through the outlet 1170 in a downstream direction1166. The distance between the downstream end of the conversion assembly1154 and the outlet 1170 is less than a predetermined minimum dunnageproduct length. In an exemplary embodiment, the outlet 1170 defined bythe housing 1168 is less than five centimeters downstream of adownstream end of the conversion assembly 1154.

The converter 1100 also includes a chute 1172 adjacent the outlet 1170.The chute 1172 has a gravity chute portion 1190 that extends in adirection transverse the downstream direction 1166, and an output chuteportion 1192, also referred to more simply as the output chute. Theoutput chute portion 1192 is movable between a first position (FIG. 32)where an upstream end of the output chute portion 1192 is aligned withthe outlet 1170, and a second position (FIG. 33) where the upstream endof the output chute 1192 is spaced from the outlet 1170 and its firstposition so that dunnage products exiting the outlet 1170 bypass theoutput chute portion 1192. The conversion assembly 1154 is operativewhether the output chute 1192 is in either the first position or thesecond position.

The gravity chute portion 1190 has an entrance 1194 adjacent the outlet1170. The output chute portion 1192 closes the entrance 1194 to thegravity chute 1190 when the output chute portion 1192 is in the firstposition (FIG. 32) and opens the entrance 1194 to allow dunnage products1160 to enter the gravity chute portion 1190 when the output chuteportion 1192 is in the second position (FIG. 33). The gravity chute 1190has an exit 1196 for retrieving dunnage products that is at least 750millimeters from the conversion assembly outlet 1170. In the embodimentshown in FIGS. 32 and 33, a bin or tray 1198 below the gravity chuteportion 1190 receives and holds the relatively short dunnage products1200 that fall through the gravity chute 1190.

The converter 1100 further includes a controller 1202 that enablesselection of a desired length of dunnage products and controls theposition of the output chute 1192. The controller 1202 typicallyincludes a processor 1204, a memory 1206, and a program stored in thememory. The controller 1202 also includes one or more input devices 1210for determining the selected length and one or more outputs forcontrolling elements of the conversion assembly 1154 and movement of theoutput chute 1192. The input devices 1210 can be connected to or includeone or more of a keyboard, mouse, touch screen display, a scanner orsensor, a bar code reader for reading a bar code on a container thatreceives the dunnage products, a radio frequency identification device(RFID) sensor, microphone, camera, etc. The controller 1202 can beprogrammed to recognize the appropriate inputs that represent a selectedlength or identify a location to look up one or multiple lengths neededfor a particular packing container.

The outputs from the controller 1202 can control various motors thatdrive elements of the conversion assembly 1154 and/or movement of theoutput chute 1192. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 34-38, thecontroller 1202 controls a solenoid motor 1212 and a linkage 1214 tomove the output chute 1192 from the first position (FIG. 34) to thesecond position (FIG. 37).

Converters often are located near a conveyor 1220 (FIG. 31) thattransport packaging containers to be packed and shipped. Other worksurface also are used for packing.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 34-38, the gravity chute portion 1190has been omitted to improve the view of the outlet 1170 (FIGS. 37 and38) and the output chute 1192. The output chute 1192 has walls 1220 thatdefine a passage 1222 through the output chute. The output chute 1192 ismovable between a first position where the output chute 1192 and thepassage 1222 through the output chute 1192 are aligned with the outlet1170 to receive relatively longer dunnage products 1124. In the firstposition, dunnage products 1224 having a length of at least apredetermined minimum length that are dispensed through the outlet 1170enter the output chute 1192. And in the second position, the outputchute 1192 is not aligned with the outlet 1170, so relatively shortdunnage products 1200 having a length less than the predeterminedminimum length that are dispensed through the outlet 1170 bypass theoutput chute 1192.

In the second position, a bottom surface 1230 of the output chute 1192defines a guide surface to direct the dunnage products bypassing theoutput chute downward. The bottom of the output chute 1192 or guidesurface 1230 is horizontally spaced downstream from the outlet 1170 andtransverse a path of the dunnage products 1200 exiting the outlet 1170in the downstream direction 1160. As the dunnage products 1200 exit theoutlet 1170, if a leading edge extends far enough to engage the bottom1230 of the output chute 1192, the inclined surface directs the dunnageproducts 1200 downward. As the dunnage products 120 clear the outlet1170, they fall through the gravity chute 1190 (FIG. 32) for collectionbelow the outlet 1170.

In the illustrated embodiment, the output chute 1192 is pivotable aboutan axis 1232 spaced from the outlet 1170 in the housing 1168, so that inthe second position an upstream end of the output chute 1192 isrotatably spaced from the outlet 1170 and spaced from the position ofthe upstream end of the output chute 1192 in the first position. Thepivot axis 1232 is substantially parallel to the plane of the outlet1170, generally is horizontal, and generally is near the downstream endof the output chute 1192.

An exemplary method of dispensing dunnage products provided by thepresent invention includes the steps of: (a) converting a stock materialinto a dunnage product and dispensing the dunnage product through anoutlet, (b) if the dunnage product has at least a predetermined minimumlength, moving an upstream end of an output chute adjacent to and inalignment with the outlet to receive, support, and guide the dunnageproduct as it exits the outlet, and (c) if the dunnage product has alength that is less than the predetermined minimum length, moving theupstream end of the output chute relative to the outlet so that dunnageproducts exiting the outlet bypass the output chute.

In summary, the present invention provides a dunnage conversion machinethat includes a shelf for supporting a supply of stock material, aconversion assembly for converting stock material into a dunnage productdispensed through an outlet, and a stand that supports the conversionassembly and the shelf. The shelf is linearly movable between anoperating position adjacent the conversion assembly and a loadingposition spaced from the operating position for loading stock materialwithout moving the conversion assembly. In the place of or in additionto the shelf, the conversion machine can include an output chute with anupstream end that is moveable relative to the outlet. In a firstposition, the output chute is aligned with the outlet to receive dunnageproducts, and in a second position the upstream end of the output chuteis moved out of alignment with the outlet so that dunnage products fromthe conversion assembly bypass the output chute.

Although the invention has been shown and described with respect to acertain illustrated embodiment or embodiments, equivalent alterationsand modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon readingand understanding the specification and the annexed drawings. Inparticular regard to the various functions performed by the abovedescribed integers (components, assemblies, devices, compositions,etc.), the terms (including a reference to a “means”) used to describesuch integers are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, toany integer which performs the specified function (i.e., that isfunctionally equivalent), even though not structurally equivalent to thedisclosed structure which performs the function in the hereinillustrated embodiment or embodiments of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A dunnage conversion machine for converting asheet stock material into a dunnage product, comprising: a connectingmechanism that connects a first web of sheet stock material to a secondweb of sheet stock material, where the connecting mechanism includes atleast one pair of gears that intermesh to connect the first web of sheetstock material to the second web of sheet stock material, the gearsinclude at least two laterally-spaced segments on opposing sides of anannular recess therebetween, and a stripper bar extends through theannular recess a distance upstream and downstream of the gears to helprelease the stock material from the gears; a bunching assembly upstreamof the feed mechanism that inwardly gathers the sheet stock material toencourage the formation of longitudinally-extending fold lines in thestock material; and a feed mechanism for advancing at least the firstweb therethrough at a first rate, the connecting mechanism beingdownstream of the feed mechanism, and the feed mechanism includes atleast one pair of rotating members for advancing sheet stock materialtherebetween, the connecting mechanism (a) retards the advancement ofthe sheet stock material by passing the sheet stock materialtherethrough at a second rate that is less than the first rate, therebycausing the first web to randomly crumple in a longitudinal spacebetween the feed mechanism and the connecting mechanism, and (b)connects the crumpled first web to a second web to maintain the crumpledfirst web in its crumpled state.
 2. A dunnage conversion machine forconverting a sheet stock material into a dunnage product, comprising: aconnecting mechanism that connects a first web of sheet stock materialto a second web of sheet stock material, where the connecting mechanismincludes at least one pair of gears that intermesh to connect the firstweb of sheet stock material to the second web of sheet stock material,the gears include at least two laterally-spaced segments on opposingsides of an annular recess therebetween, and a stripper bar extendsthrough the annular recess a distance upstream and downstream of thegears to help release the stock material from the gears; a bunchingassembly upstream of the feed mechanism that inwardly gathers the sheetstock material to encourage the formation of longitudinally-extendingfold lines in the stock material; a feed mechanism for advancing atleast the first web therethrough at a first rate, the connectingmechanism being downstream of the feed mechanism, and the feed mechanismincludes at least one pair of rotating members for advancing sheet stockmaterial therebetween, the connecting mechanism (a) retards theadvancement of the sheet stock material by passing the sheet stockmaterial therethrough at a second rate that is less than the first rate,thereby causing the first web to randomly crumple in a longitudinalspace between the feed mechanism and the connecting mechanism, and (b)connects the crumpled first web to a second web to maintain the crumpledfirst web in its crumpled state; and a separator that cooperates withchannel guides to define multiple channels for the stock material totravel through the feed mechanism to the connecting mechanism, wherebythe channels confine the stock material as it crumples between the feedmechanism and the connecting mechanism, and each channel has a differentheight to promote different frequencies and amplitudes in the crumplingof respective webs of sheet stock material.
 3. A conversion machine asset forth in claim 2, where the connecting mechanism includes at leasttwo laterally-spaced pairs of rotating gear members having interlacedteeth for deforming the sheet stock material passing therebetween tointerlock multiple plies of sheet stock material.
 4. A conversionmachine as set forth in claim 3, wherein each pair of the connectinggears includes a biasing member that biases one gear toward an opposinggear and provides adjustable pinch pressure.
 5. A conversion machine asset forth in claim 2, wherein the connecting mechanism includes one ormore tunnel members that define a path for the sheet stock materialbetween the feed mechanism and the connecting mechanism that constrainsthe sheet stock material therein, the feed mechanism advancing at leastthe first web of sheet stock material therethrough at a first rate, andthe connecting mechanism retards the advancement of the sheet stockmaterial by passing the sheet stock material therethrough at a secondrate that is less than the first rate, thereby causing the first web torandomly crumple in a longitudinal space between the feed mechanism andthe connecting mechanism, and the tunnel members facilitate crumplingthe first web.
 6. A conversion machine as set forth in claim 2, wherethe rotating feed members include knurled wheels.
 7. A conversionmachine as set forth in claim 2, comprising a cutting mechanismdownstream of the connecting mechanism.
 8. A conversion machine as setforth in claim 2, comprising lateral guide members that are laterallyspaced on opposing sides of the path of the sheet stock material tolaterally inwardly-bunch the sheet stock material upstream of the feedmechanism.
 9. A conversion machine as set forth in claim 2, comprising aguide for guiding at least one sheet of stock material to the connectingmechanism and bypassing the feed mechanism to connect the crumpled sheetto an uncrumpled sheet to form a relatively flat wrapping dunnageproduct that retains its shape.
 10. A conversion machine as set forth inclaim 2, comprising laterally-spaced forming members that extend intothe path of lateral edge portions of the sheet stock material to urgethose lateral edge portions inward to reinforce the edges of the stockmaterial as those edge portions pass through the connecting mechanism.